What are the expectations for the model?

Students will have a Chromebook assigned to them in the same way textbooks are assigned.

All Chromebooks will be handed out with covers that must remain on the Chromebooks at all times.

Students must maintain the Chromebook and cover as they do textbooks and return them at the end of the year.

What happens if the Chromebook my child is issued has technical issues and/or is in need of repair?

Spare Chromebooks will be placed in each classroom in case a student’s Chromebook dies or malfunctions.

If a student’s Chromebook is not working, they use the classroom spare computer until they can drop their assigned Chromebook off at the library and exchange it for a working one. The library assistant will check out a different working Chromebook to the student, update the assignment in Destiny, and put in a tech request for the broken Chromebook. District technicians will repair the Chromebook and return it to the library assistant who will then return it to the student.

An additional power-strip was installed in each classroom to allow for students to charge their Chromebooks when not in use. Charging should only be needed in an emergency or in pro-active cases. All Chromebooks should be fully charged every day prior to being brought to school.

Teachers are not expected to troubleshoot or fix Chromebooks.

Will my child be able to bring the Chromebook home?

Yes. They will be expected to bring their assigned Chromebook home every night to charge.

Will my child be able to use the Chromebook at home?

Students can use the Chromebooks at home by connecting to their family's wireless network. Students will access the Internet by connecting to the wireless at home, but will go through a proxy to our Internet Service Provider through our firewalls. The school settings and filtering will continue on the Chromebook at home.

Can my child leave the Chromebook at school?

Students must take the Chromebook home each night for charging. We do not have secure charging available for every student at school.

Does my child have to use the school Chromebook at home?

Students can use their own machines at home and go through their family’s Internet service and use their filter settings.

How will my child connect to the Internet with the Chromebook at home?

Students will access the Internet by connecting to the wireless at home, but will go through a proxy to our Internet Service Provider through our firewalls. This will be seamless and transparent to the students, thus school settings and filtering will continue on the Chromebook at home.

Will there be filtering on the Chromebook while my child is at home?

Students will access the Internet by connecting to the wireless at home, but will go through a proxy to our Internet Service Provider through our firewalls and filters. Specific filtering software will not be placed on the individual machines. Students can always use a family owned computer while at home and use the filtering software and settings of the family's choosing.

Can my child use a personal account to log into the school Chromebook when at home?

No, each student must use their school account to login. The Chromebook settings are locked and cannot be altered.

What if I want my child to be able to access different things on the Chromebook like Netflix?

It depends on the program they want to access. If it is blocked at school, no. If anything has to be downloaded or added to the machine, students will not be able to access the program. If the program only requires a browser window and it is not blocked at school, yes.

How does the district decide what to filter?

Web filtering is user-oriented. Regardless of whether the user is on the wired or wireless network, on their own device or ours, if they are using our network to access the Internet they experience the same web filtering.

Note that we cannot prevent access to the Internet via cellular networks.

Our general philosophy for web filtering is summarized below:

The educational benefit of the Internet outweighs its potential for harm, and access to it should be as open as possible after taking into account Federal law, age appropriateness of the user, network security, and District administrative policy.

More specifically:

For all users, we block content as required under Federal law (i.e., CIPA), as well as content identified by Fortinet to be dangerous to our users/IT infrastructure (e.g., phishing websites or websites disseminating viruses or other malware)

Teachers and students experience the same level of web filtering.

Web filtering is less restrictive as the student age increases - thus the elementary level is the most restrictive while high school level the least.

Categories which are vague or subjective (e.g., "Discrimination") are allowed when age-appropriate.

Categories which have moral or political dimensions (e.g., "Sex Education") are allowed when age-appropriate.

Web filtering is performed by our Fortinet firewalls, using two levels of granularity:

Categories - Included in our firewall support package is access to the FortiGuard web filtering service. Fortinet employs both staff and technology to categorize websites throughout the world.

URL Filtering - URL filtering enables us to allow or block a website by its address or URL. This can be used to override categorical filtering for a website, or to block a website which is not categorized.

What happens if my child's device becomes inoperable?

Classrooms and designated areas will offer devices that can be borrowed for the day.

For Students

Where can I find the Acceptable Use Agreement for middle school students?

http://www.westport.k12.ct.us/media/aup/aup-mshs.pdf

Do I have to use the Chromebook at home?

No. Students can use the Chromebooks at home by connecting to their family's wireless network. Students who use the Chromebook at home will access the Internet by connecting to the wireless at home, but will go through a proxy to our Internet Service Provider through our firewalls.

Can I add anything to my Chromebook?

No, the settings on the Chromebook won't allow students to add anything of their own to it.

Can I decorate my Chromebook?

No, it is always fun to decorate and make something your own, but the district must continue to service the machines and we must keep them all standard looking.

How will I be able to tell me Chromebook from others if I can't decorate it?

Before you get a Chromebook a sticker with your name, grade, and homeroom will be placed on the bottom A plastic clear cover will be put on it. Both must remain on the Chromebook at all times.

Why can't I bring in my own device?

There are more and more types of software that we push out through the Chromebooks that are needed by your teachers for class. These software applications are not available for download or they do not work the same on your own device. We need to make sure that what you bring to class can access everything needed.

Can I log in with a different Google Account on my Chromebook?

No, the settings on the Chromebook won''t allow you to log on with any account other than your school Google account.

What happens if my Chromebook stops working in school?

First, you can borrow a spare computer from the classroom you are in until the class period ends. Then you will take your Chromebook to the library media center and turn it in to the library para. You will be given a temporary replacement to use until your Chromebook has been fixed.

What happens if my Chromebook stops working at home?

You can use any machine at home. If your device stops working at home, switch over to a family device. When you arrive at school, take your Chromebook to the library media center and turn it in to the library para. You will be given a temporary replacement to use until your Chromebook has been fixed.